Fred and two pals at a Training Reserve Battalion

[gporta]

Here's a postcard with Fred and two other young conscripts while in a Training Reserve Battalion.

I'd say that they're very, very young looking. I wouldn't say that the boy at the right is an eighteen-year old.

Notice the slip-on "T. R." cloth badge.

No date in it (my guess is 1916 or 1917), and no clue as to where it might have been taken (i wonder if the seal at the back of the letter might give a clue).

My guess is that "Rose" is Fred's sister.

[Graham Stewart]

Lovely card and one often wonders what happend to the subjects. Pity there was no photographers mark on the reverse as we'd be able to tie down which TR Battalion unit. Using your skills if you home in on the cap badge you'll find they're wearing a General Service pattern button and sometimes you can make out the red loth backing to it.

Looking at their ages I would think they were possible serving in either a Graduated or Young Soldier Battalion of the Training Reserve.

[gporta]

Lovely card and one often wonders what happend to the subjects.

Indeed, when an image has got a regimental badge, there is at least one clue, but here we are not able to tell to which TRB they might have belonged, or to which unit were they drafted afterwards (I truly wish there was a big , fat book on the subject of these units!)

Using your skills if you home in on the cap badge you'll find they're wearing a General Service pattern button and sometimes you can make out the red loth backing to it.

Y re-scanned the heads at the highest possile resolution I could, and enlarged the buttons . I'd say there's a darker halo around the button-badges (the red cloth?).